Method for reservoir mixing in a municipal water supply system
One or more turbulent jet flows of fluid are discharged from inlet nozzles communicating with an inlet pipe to mix fluid in a reservoir, such as a water storage tank. The turbulent jet flows are directed to reach the surface of the fluid already existing in the reservoir. A horizontally disposed outlet section includes low loss contraction nozzles distributed throughout a lower portion of the reservoir to induce draining from all areas of the lower portion.
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The present invention relates to liquid storage tanks that are in ground, above ground or elevated, hereinafter generically referred to as “reservoirs” and more particularly relates to methods and apparatus for the mixing of fluids in reservoirs and thereby preventing “stagnation” (as hereinafter defined) of fluids in reservoirs, excessive “aging” (as hereinafter defined) of fluids in reservoirs and/or the formation of an “ice cap” (as hereinafter defined). The present specification uses potable water as an example. However, the invention is equally applicable to other types of fluids where mixing is either required or desirable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPotable water reservoirs such as standpipes (normally tanks with height greater than diameter), ground storage tanks (normally tanks with height less than diameter) or elevated tanks are connected to water distribution systems and are used, among other things, to supply water to the systems and/or maintain the pressure in the systems during periods when water consumption from the system is higher than the supply mechanism to the system can provide. The reservoirs are therefore usually filling during periods when the system has supply capacity that exceeds the current consumption demand on the system or discharging into the system when the system has supply capacity that is less than the current consumption demand on the system. Potable water reservoirs typically contain water which has been treated through the addition of a disinfectant to prevent microbial growth in the water. Disinfectant concentrations in stored water decrease over time at a rate dependant upon a number of factors. This can result in unacceptable water quality if the period of retention of the water, or any part thereof in the reservoir, becomes too long or if the incoming fresh, treated water is not properly mixed with the existing stored water. Therefore, the age or retention period of water within potable water reservoirs and the mixing of incoming fresh water with the existing water are of concern to ensure that the quality of the water will meet the regulatory requirements for disinfectant concentrations. In addition, during periods of below freezing weather, the top surface of the water will cool and may freeze (this is referred to as an ice cap) unless it is exchanged for or mixed with the warmer water entering the reservoir. An ice cap may become thick enough to adhere to the reservoir walls and span the entire surface even when the water is drained from below. If sufficient water is drained from below a fully spanning ice cap, a vacuum is created, collapsing the ice cap which in turn can create, during the collapse, a second vacuum which can be much larger than the reservoir venting capacity and can result in an implosion of the roof and possibly the upper walls of the reservoir.
Water reservoirs are often filled and drained from a single pipe or a plurality of pipes located at or near the bottom of the reservoir. Under these conditions, when fresh water is added to the reservoir, it enters the lower part of the reservoir and when there is demand for water in the system, it is removed from the lower part of the reservoir resulting in a tendency for the last water added to be the first to be removed. This can be referred to as short circuiting. Temperature differences between stored water and new water may cause stratification which can in turn exacerbate short circuiting and water aging problems. Filling and draining from a single or a plurality of pipes located at or near the bottom creates little turbulence particularly in areas within the reservoir remote from these inlet and outlet pipes. As a result, the age or residency time of some waters within parts of the reservoir can be very long, resulting in loss of disinfectant residual, increase in disinfection by-products, biological growth, nitrification and other water quality and/or regulatory issues. This is referred to herein as “stagnation” or “stagnant water”. A perfect system would provide a first in, last out scenario (“cycling”), however, perfect cycling is either not possible or is cost prohibitive. A preferred system provides a tendency toward cycling combined with a first mixing of the new water with existing tank contents that are most remote from the point of withdrawal. A preferred system would efficiently mix new water entering the tank with the existing tank contents thereby preventing stagnation. A preferred system would reduce the water age or residency time and related problems. A preferred system would eliminate the potential for ice cap formation.
The prior art recognizes the use of a plurality of inlet and outlet pipes, remote from each other in an attempt to promote mixing. Systems that have been proposed to date are typically ineffective or inefficient in that the water is not introduced properly and tends to short circuit or flow directly from the inlet to the outlet thus being unable to eliminate zones of stagnant water (“dead zones”) that occur in the reservoir. The prior art also recognizes attempts to improve the performance of the preceding by the addition of a directional elbow and a reducer on the inlet but this method, utilizing a reducer only does not provide a developed jet flow and further does not provide orientation, number and diameter of inlet pipes that are selected for best possible mixing for a specific tank geometry.
It is desirable to provide an inexpensive and easily maintained mixing system for use in reservoirs in order to reduce the potential for stagnation and excessive aging of the contained fluids and further to reduce the potential for the formation of dangerous ice caps.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is a method of filling a reservoir, which includes:
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- a) filling the reservoir through one or a plurality of inlet nozzles which are designed to have a length, diameter, reduction and location to produce a developed turbulent jet flow which, when the inlet nozzle is positioned at the appropriate elevation and oriented in the appropriate direction(s) will direct said developed turbulent jet flow with the appropriate velocity to reach the surface of the liquid with initial mixing taking place in this area. The requisite design of the inlet nozzle(s) can be based on CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis using the actual tank geometry, minimum, maximum and average fill rates and actual operating parameters or on a similar equivalent analysis.
The present invention is a method of draining a reservoir, which includes:
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- b) draining fluid from the bottom of the reservoir utilizing a horizontally oriented outlet header and a plurality of inlet pipes terminating in low loss contraction nozzles designed to induce drainage across the entire lower area of the tank. The requisite design of the drain header, inlet pipes and low loss contraction nozzles can be based on CFD analysis using the actual tank geometry and minimum, maximum and average drainage rates or on a similar equivalent analysis.
The present invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings:
Referring now to
The storage reservoir of this invention is depicted by way of example only as storage reservoir 10 storing potable drinking water 16 having a high water level 17 which varies substantially under normal operating conditions to low operating water level 19.
The purpose of the present method and apparatus for promoting mixing and therefore eliminating stagnation and ice cap formation in fluid reservoirs is to add and withdraw water at different locations by a method which causes the mixing of the water in the reservoir and thereby prevents the existence of stagnant water regions in the tank without the use of auxiliary mechanical devices.
The present apparatus will be described in two separate sections shown generally as inlet section 29 and outlet section 41. Referring first to
Referring to
Common to both systems depicted in
Inlet Section 29
Fresh water entering reservoir 10 via inlet pipe 22 is directed to inlet nozzle 26. Water under pressure being injected through inlet nozzle 26 develops flow characteristics which direct the incoming fresh water 30 along jet direction 31 to the water surface which is typically, under operating conditions, between high water level 17 and low water level 19.
Inlet nozzle 26 is connected to inlet pipe 22 at a height above reservoir bottom 12 which ensures that the discharge end of inlet nozzle 26 is always below low water level 19 of reservoir 10, but sufficiently high that developed turbulent jet flow along jet direction 31 created by incoming fresh water 30 issuing from inlet nozzle 26 is capable of reaching the water surface at water level 17. Therefore, as the water level varies between low water level 19 and high water level 17, the jet created by incoming fresh water 30 will reach the surface of the water.
Outlet Section 41
Referring now, by way of example only, to
Referring to
Common to both systems depicted in
The horizontal outlet tributary pipes 44 are shown as roughly equally spaced radial oriented pipes located in lower portion 12 of reservoir 10 such that fluid is drawn from all areas of the lower portion of the reservoir as shown by outgoing water flow arrows 36. The outlet manifold 40 and outlet tributary pipes 44 are shown by example as being centrally and radially located but can be located anywhere within the lower portion 112 of reservoir 10 as long as the configuration and length of outlet tributary pipes 44 induces flow from all areas of the lower portion of the reservoir.
Operation
A person skilled in the art will note that water is fed into the top portion 110 of the reservoir via a developed turbulent jet flow along jet direction 31 to encourage mixing first with the water most remote from the point of withdrawal.
A person skilled in the art will note that water is drawn from the entire lower portion 112 of the reservoir due to the orientation, sizing and configuration of horizontal outlet tributary pipes and the use and design of low loss contraction nozzles. The number and radial length of outlet tributary pipes depends upon the reservoir size and the location of outlet manifold 40.
A person skilled in the art will note that during times of reservoir filling, water is prevented from initially entering the lower portion 112 of the reservoir by check valve 42 and during times of withdrawal, water is prevented from leaving the top portion 110 of the reservoir by check valve(s) 32.
A person skilled in the art will note that incoming water which has a negative buoyancy, i.e., is colder than existing reservoir contents (a common hot weather or summer condition) will be directed first to the surface of the top portion 110 of the reservoir contents by a developed turbulent jet flow along jet direction 31 and will subsequently, due to negative buoyancy, migrate toward the lower portion 112 of the reservoir thus accelerating mixing first with the reservoir contents most remote from the point of withdrawal and subsequently with the entire reservoir contents. Furthermore, it will be recognized that this accelerated mixing is a desirable condition during warm weather when disinfectant concentrations decrease at the fastest rate.
A person skilled in the art will note that incoming water which has a positive buoyancy, i.e. is warmer than existing reservoir contents (a common cold weather or winter condition) will be directed first to the surface of the top portion 110 of the reservoir contents by a developed turbulent jet flow along jet direction 31 and will subsequently, due to positive buoyancy have less tendency to immediately migrate toward the lower portion 112 of the reservoir. Furthermore, it will be recognized that this is a desirable condition during cold weather since the extended residency of the warmer water in top portion 110 will ensure that a dangerous ice cap does not form.
A person skilled in the art will note that the required number and orientation of inlet nozzles will depend on factors which include but are not necessarily limited to the size or diameter of the reservoir and the rate of reservoir filling which affects the discharge velocity of the inlet nozzles. Furthermore, it will be realized that one or a plurality of inlet nozzles can be utilized without departure from the spirit of the invention. In addition, it will be realized that a plurality of inlet nozzle(s) locations within the reservoir can be utilized without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention.
A person skilled in the art will note that there may be reservoir configurations which necessitate a number of vertical locations of inlet nozzles. Furthermore, it will be realized that one or a plurality of vertical locations of inlet nozzles can be utilized without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention.
A person skilled in the art will note that the required number and orientation of outlet tributary pipes will depend on factors which include but are not necessarily limited to the size or diameter of the reservoir. Furthermore, it will be realized that one or a plurality of outlet tributary pipes can be utilized without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention.
A person, skilled in the art, will note that the use of low loss contraction nozzles will depend on factors which include but are not necessarily limited to the size or diameter of the reservoir or drainage area within the reservoir. Furthermore, it will be realized that low loss contraction nozzles can be deleted where appropriate without departure from the spirit of the invention.
It is therefore apparent to a person skilled in the art that a system has been created which consistently places the incoming, fresh, treated and (in winter) warmer water first at the top of reservoir 10 while forcing the withdrawal from the bottom.
It is therefore apparent to a person skilled in the art that a system has been created which provides maximum acceleration to the mixing of the incoming, fresh, treated water with existing tank contents during periods of negative buoyancy (summer) when this is most desirable.
It is therefore apparent to a person skilled in the art that a system has been created which reduces the potential for dangerous ice cap formation during periods of positive buoyancy (winter) when this is most desirable.
It should be apparent to a person skilled in the art that a preferred system has been created which combines mixing and the removal of potentially dangerous ice caps.
It should be apparent to persons skilled in the art that various other modifications and adaptations of the structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, some of these modifications and adaptations are illustrated in
Claims
1. A method of mixing water in a municipal water supply reservoir, the reservoir holding a variable volume of water that varies between a low water level and a high water level as defined by a surface of the water, the method comprising the steps of:
- positioning an inlet pipe and an inlet nozzle in the reservoir, the inlet nozzle communicating with the inlet pipe and being located below the low water level to be submerged in the water, wherein the inlet nozzle includes a reducer, an elongated nozzle pipe mounted to an exit end of the reducer, and a duckbill check valve mounted to an exit end of the nozzle pipe; and
- discharging a turbulent jet flow of water from the inlet nozzle into the reservoir, wherein the turbulent jet flow of fluid is directed upward toward the surface of the water and reaches the surface of the water in the reservoir.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of positioning an inlet pipe and an inlet nozzle includes retrofitting an existing reservoir with the inlet pipe and the inlet nozzle.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of positioning an inlet pipe and the inlet nozzle includes arranging the inlet pipe to extend in a vertical direction until the inlet pipe reaches the inlet nozzle, wherein the inlet nozzle is located nearer to the low water level than to a bottom wall of the reservoir.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of positioning an inlet pipe and the inlet nozzle includes providing a plurality of inlet nozzles below the low water level, each of the plurality of inlet nozzles communicating with the inlet pipe, and wherein the step of discharging a turbulent jet flow of water includes discharging a plurality of turbulent jet flows of water each from a respective one of the plurality of inlet nozzles, each of the plurality of turbulent jet flows of water being directed upward toward the surface of the water and reaching the surface of the water in the reservoir at a unique location on the surface of the water.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
- positioning an outlet pipe and an outlet manifold in the reservoir below the surface of the water, the outlet manifold communicating with the reservoir and the outlet pipe and being located at an elevation lower than the elevation of the inlet nozzle; and
- draining water from the reservoir through the outlet manifold and the outlet pipe.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the outlet manifold includes a horizontally oriented outlet tributary pipe having a low loss contraction nozzle.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the outlet manifold includes a plurality of horizontally oriented outlet tributary pipes each having a respective low loss contraction nozzle, and the low loss contraction nozzles are located apart from one another to induce drainage throughout the lower portion of the reservoir.
8. The method of claim 5, wherein the outlet pipe differs from the inlet pipe.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jan 17, 2012
Date of Patent: Jul 29, 2014
Patent Publication Number: 20120111414
Assignee: Landmark Structures I, L.P. (Fort Worth, TX)
Inventor: Douglas Lamon (Burlington)
Primary Examiner: Charles Cooley
Application Number: 13/351,394
International Classification: B01F 5/02 (20060101);